Hot weather leads to higher than usual pavement buckling

Each summer Wisconsinites deal with pavement buckling on the roads, but this year, they’ve seen more action than usual in early June.

The Dane County Highway Department has already fixed 18 pavement buckles just this week. Department employees said that's high compared to what they normally see this time of year.

"For one thing, it just happens on concrete roadways, or if there's concrete underneath the roadway," Operations Manager Dan Behrend said. "What happens is the concrete gets hot, it expands, it starts pushing against each other and then you have a buckle."

If drivers aren’t careful, it could cost anywhere from $100-$300 to replace a damaged tire or a wheel. Driving over a pavement buckle could damage a vehicle, even if it seems like nothing is wrong.

"If you hit a road buckle, notice the small things,” Capital Tire and Service Technician Bert Fuller said. “If the steering wheel is a little crooked after you hit a pothole or a bump in the road and take the time to visually inspect your tires to make sure that nothing is out of the ordinary."

The Dane County Highway Department reports that the most common time for buckles is June through July 4.